• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.927-940
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• 2023

Online shopping has been undergoing significant developments in the South Asian region in the last decade. Using a representative sample of Sri Lankan consumers, this study explored online food purchasing behavior in Sri Lanka, a developing nation and island in South Asia. Data were collected from 562 respondents from all nine provinces in Sri Lanka using an online survey. Consumer attitudes were evaluated using factor analysis, and factor scores were added as explanatory variables to the final model. An ordered logistic regression model was used to examine the impact of consumer demographics, economic variables, and consumer attitudes on online food purchases. Online food purchasing intensity was categorized into four groups that suited ordinal rankings: zero for never, low for rarely, medium for occasionally, and high for regularly. Results indicated that age, income, education, and living in urban areas affect the online food purchasing behavior of Sri Lankan consumers. In addition, trust, convenience, and attitudes toward price were powerful drivers of online food purchasing. The findings have a number of significant managerial ramifications for creating strategies to promote online food purchases in developing South Asian nations like Sri Lanka. Moreover, promoting online shopping could be a potential solution for traffic congestion, ultimately helping to mitigate the negative externalities associated with it, such as carbon emissions and air pollution.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.51 no.5
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• pp.499-507
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• 2024

The paper delves into an emerging paradigm shift in architectural design, focusing on the development of a cutting-edge methodological framework for the artistic enhancement of nanocomposite brick facades in building construction. This innovative approach represents a fusion of art and science, harnessing the potential of advanced nanotechnology to redefine the aesthetic and functional properties of building exteriors. Central to this new methodology is the integration of state-of-the-art materials and fabrication techniques, aimed at not only elevating the visual appeal of architectural structures but also enhancing their structural robustness and environmental sustainability. By leveraging the unique characteristics of nanocomposite materials, the proposed method opens up new possibilities for pushing the boundaries of traditional brick facade design. Through a meticulous exploration of the intricacies involved in implementing this novel approach, the paper elucidates the transformative impact it can have on the architectural landscape. By marrying creativity with technical precision, the method environment for art design of nanocomposite brick facades promises to usher in a new era of sustainable, visually captivating, and structurally resilient building facades that are poised to redefine the very essence of architectural aesthetics.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.11
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• pp.4173-4180
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• 2023

The stability of engineered barriers in high-level radioactive waste disposal systems can be influenced by the decay heat generated by the waste. This study focuses on the thermal analysis of various canister designs to effectively lower the maximum temperature of the engineered barrier. A numerical model was developed and employed to investigate the heat dissipation potential of copper rings placed across the buffer. Various canister designs incorporating copper rings were presented, and numerical analysis was performed to identify the design with the most significant temperature reduction effect. The results confirmed that the temperature of the buffer material was effectively lowered with an increase in the number of copper rings penetrating the buffer. Parametric studies were also conducted to analyze the impact of technical gaps, copper thickness, and collar height on the temperature reduction. The numerical model revealed that the presence of gaps between the components of the engineered barrier significantly increased the buffer temperature. Furthermore, the reduction in buffer temperature varied depending on the location of the gap and collar. The methods proposed in this study for reducing the buffer temperature hold promise for contributing to cost reduction in radioactive waste disposal.

• Clinical Nutrition Research
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.74-87
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• 2024

Since the effects of cinnamon supplementation on lipid profiles are still controversial, this study conducted a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials to assess the effect of cinnamon supplementation on lipid profiles. The study was designed and conducted according to the guidelines of the 2020 preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis (PRISMA) statements. A systematic and comprehensive search was performed in several databases from inception up to 11 November 2023. The meta-analysis on the impact of Cinnamon on lipid profiles indicates a non-significant overall effect on low-density lipoprotein (weighted mean differences [WMD], -2.48; 95% confidence interval [CI], -9.70, 4.72). However, significant reductions are seen with doses < 500 mg/day (-10.26), and non-significant increases with doses ≥ 500 mg/day (1.18). The overall effect on high-density lipoprotein is non-significant (WMD, 3.97; 95% CI, -7.877, 15.831), showing varying responses at different doses. Triglycerides exhibit a significant overall reduction (WMD, -6.88; 95% CI, -12.62, -1.15), particularly in the < 500 mg/day group. The overall effect on cholesterol is non-significant (WMD, -4.314; 95% CI, -15.011, 6.384), with diverse responses at different doses. High heterogeneity underlines the importance of standardized study designs and further exploration of dosage-specific effects. Findings from this study suggest that cinnamon supplements might be beneficial to modulate the blood lipid profile.

• International Journal of Computer Science & Network Security
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• v.24 no.7
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• pp.207-213
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• 2024

This study investigated the perceived usability of the Blackboard learning management system (LMS) amongst students at Umm Al-Qura University. A quantitative approach was employed to explore the potential relationship between Blackboard usability and social media platform usage. Additionally, the study aimed to identify other factors influencing perceived usability. Data were collected through a three-section questionnaire distributed electronically to a sample of students (n=544). The findings, based on System Usability Scale (SUS) scores, revealed that the overall perceived usability of Blackboard resided near the midpoint of the scale, indicating an "acceptable" level. A potential negative correlation emerged between social media usage time and perceived Blackboard usability. Students who reported lower social media usage exhibited higher SUS scores. Training on Blackboard usage demonstrably exerted a positive influence on perceived usability. Gender was not identified as a statistically significant factor. An analysis of student support methods revealed that seeking help from a friend was the most prevalent approach, followed by search engines, university technical support, and social media platforms. The findings suggest that implementing strategies to improve Blackboard usability at Umm Al-Qura University could be achieved through readily accessible training materials and the exploration of alternative support channels.

• Journal of Technology Innovation
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.59-82
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• 2024

This study estimates the impact of smart factories on workload, a direct indicator of labor demand, using information on smart factories from the Korea Labor Institute's Workplace Panel Survey. Overall, we find that the workload of production workers decreases as the level of smartification increases. Our heterogeneity analysis shows that the effect is concentrated among establishments producing the same product repeatedly. In contrast, we find that workload increases for managerial and technical occupations who need to put more effort into implementing more intelligent and connected production, and production workers at establishments pursuing product variety. These results are broadly consistent with the existing literature.

• Korean Circulation Journal
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• v.52 no.7
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• pp.485-495
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• 2022

Coronary artery disease is highly prevalent in chronic kidney disease (CKD) and is a risk factor for contrast-associated acute kidney injury (CA-AKI), a complication of cardiovascular procedures that require contrast administration (e.g., coronary angiography, percutaneous coronary intervention [PCI]). CA-AKI has a major impact on morbidity, mortality, and healthcare resource utilization. The incidence of CA-AKI is particularly high in patients with pre-existing CKD, advanced age and comorbidities that increase the likelihood of CKD. The focus of the present review is to provide a brief overview on the assessment of the risk for and prevention of CA-AKI in patients undergoing angiography and PCI, including recognition of the important patient- and procedure-related factors that may contribute to CA-AKI. Preventive and treatment strategies, the mainstay of which is volume repletion by normal saline, are briefly discussed. The main focus of the review is placed on technical details of contrast minimization techniques, including ultra-low contrast angiography and zerocontrast PCI. Operator competence in such techniques is important to ensure that procedural challenges in patients with CKD, like vessel calcification, multivessel disease and complex anatomical subsets, are effectively addressed by PCI while minimizing the risk of CA-AKI.

• KSII Transactions on Internet and Information Systems (TIIS)
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• v.18 no.7
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• pp.1868-1887
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• 2024

Recommendation systems research is a subfield of information retrieval, as these systems recommend appropriate items to users during their visits. Appropriate recommendation results will help users save time searching while increasing productivity at work, travel, or shopping. The problem becomes more difficult when the items are geographical locations on the ground, as they are associated with a wealth of contextual information, such as geographical location, opening time, and sequence of related locations. Furthermore, on social networking platforms that allow users to check in or express interest when visiting a specific location, their friends receive this signal by spreading the word on that online social network. Consideration should be given to relationship data extracted from online social networking platforms, as well as their impact on the geolocation recommendation process. In this study, we compare the similarity of geographic locations based on their distance on the ground and their correlation with users who have checked in at those locations. When calculating feature embeddings for users and locations, social relationships are also considered as attention signals. The similarity value between location and correlation between users will be exploited in the overall architecture of the recommendation model, which will employ graph convolution networks to generate recommendations with high precision and recall. The proposed model is implemented and executed on popular datasets, then compared to baseline models to assess its overall effectiveness.

• Advances in nano research
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.9-18
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• 2024

This paper presents the development of an educational management model for analyzing the dynamic instability of nanocomposite sandwich beams. The model aims to provide a comprehensive framework for understanding the behavior of sandwich micro beams with foam cores, featuring top and bottom layers made of smart and porous functionally graded materials (FGM) nanocomposites. The bottom layer is influenced by an external electric field, and the entire beam is supported by a visco-Pasternak foundation, accounting for spring, shear, and damping constants. Using the Kelvin-Voigt theory to model structural damping and incorporating size effects based on strain gradient theory, the model employs the parabolic shear deformation beam theory (PSDBT) to derive motion equations through Hamilton's principle. The differential quadrature method (DQM) is applied to solve these equations, accurately identifying the improvement in student understanding (ISU) of the beams. The impact of various parameters, including FGM properties, external voltage, geometric constants, and structural damping, on the DIR is thoroughly examined. The educational model is validated by comparing its outcomes with existing studies, highlighting the increase in ISU with the application of negative external voltage to the smart layer. This model serves as a valuable educational tool for engineering students and researchers studying the dynamic stability of advanced nanocomposite structures.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.45-54
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• 2024

Currently, off-site dose calculations for nuclear power plants are conducted using a computer program (K-DOSE 60). The program is developed based on the regulatory guidelines of the Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety (KINS), which is a domestic nuclear regulatory agency. In this study, a domestic application of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) TRS (Technical Reports Series)-472 methodology for ³H and ¹⁴C in liquid effluents was studied. The dose-evaluation methods adopted and the program configuration for dose evaluation are described based on ³H and ¹⁴C in the liquid-effluent-evaluation module of the computer program. The accuracy of the program is verified by comparing the program-calculated results with hand calculation values. Furthermore, a comparative evaluation with LADTAP II, which is a liquid-effluent-evaluation methodology developed by the U.S. NRC (Nuclear Regulatory Commission), is performed. The result confirms that the program-calculated results for the IAEA TRS-472 methodology are consistent with the hand calculation values. Meanwhile, the result of comparative evaluation with LADTAP II indicates different results depending on the methodology used.